Two priests from underground Church in prison. Doubts about Xi Jinping’s "unprecedented" reforms

Bernardo Cervellera

The two young priests gave catechism classes to adults in Qinyuan . Faithful who helped them are fined. Some Catholics hope that the concentration of power in the National Security Council will lessen patriotic association’s power and enhance religious freedom. Others fear the situation will worsen because reforms reaffirm the Communist Party monopoly of power.

Rome (AsiaNews) - Two priests
from the underground Church are in prison since early October. They are
"guilty" of having organized catechism classes for adults in the town of
Qinyuan , near Baoding (Hebei ). The two men are Fr. Tian Dalong and another
priest whose identity is unknown to AsiaNews, both in their 40s. They were arrested and isolated in police
barracks in Baoding, an area with one of the largest non-official communities.
Four lay faithful, who helped the priests in their pastoral activities have
been forced to pay a fine of 4 thousand yuan each (about 400 EUR ) , accounting
for more than two months' salary of a skilled worker.

According to AsiaNews sources,
there are at least 10 priests in similar conditions, some have even been
sentenced to the laojiao (forced labor camps for "reform through
labor") for years. What
is important about these latest arrests is that they took place just weeks
after the Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party, a meeting which the
leadership loudly proclaimed would produce "unprecedented" reforms.

The world media, coached by
Xinhua's carefully controlled reports, have praised these possible reforms,
focusing on the economic novelties: a gradual reduction of government influence
in the economy; promotion of private investment and foreign tax reform, the
elimination of mandatory residence visas ( hukou ) for migrants; reform of the
one-child law, etc ...

AsiaNews has presented
these aspects also showing the ambiguities (see here,
here,
here and here).

Chinese Catholics are wondering
if the plenum will bring more hope of freedom for Catholics and for religious
freedom in general. These questions focus on the future function of the new
National Security Council launched by the Plenum as an example of the new
reform .

According to Xinhua, the National Security Council ( NSC ) should "perfect
the national security system and strategy,
guaranteeing the nations security". The few explanations on how the NSC would
function were given by Xi Jinping, who stated that the new body should "strengthen
the unity of the leadership in state security", making "national
security and social stability preconditions for reform and development "
(Xinhua , 15/11/2013 ) .

Several experts think that "the
unity of the leadership in state security" means that the NSC will be a superior
power to the army, the police, the intelligence services and the judiciary, which
should ensure social stability and internal relations with foreign countries.

Some Catholics in the north and east of China believe this concentration of
power in the hands of the central government , and perhaps the same Xi Jinping,
will promote religious freedom. Very often, the imprisonments, the
expropriation of church land, the arrests of priests and faithful depend on the
decisions of local leaders, who have no qualms in ignoring national regulations
on religion . In addition, strengthening central power could weaken the
Ministry of Religious Affairs - currently among the most Stalinist government
offices - and patriotic associations.

As proof of a certain relaxation
of control in the peripheries, Catholics are quoted as saying that the police
leave underground communities room to breathe, are concerned about the health
of the bishops (for fear of having to face a more serious crises in the case of
an appointment ), maintain dialogue (perhaps to control) with underground
priests .

Instead other believers in Beijing and central China say that "nothing has
changed" and that the situation is always the same: underground priests
are imprisoned (such as the two mentioned above); meetings among the faithful are
banned; the Patriotic Association's control is absolute. If you add to this the
list of bishops that have disappeared in police custody over the years, the
bishop of Shanghai still under house arrest, control over other bishops (even
official ones), their conclusion is understandable: "So far, nothing has
changed. We'll see in a few months time
if there is a change of policy. Anyway, this will depend on the idea of
​​reform that leadership has in mind : the concentration of all power in the
hands of a few may even worsen the situation. "

According to the activist Hu Jia
, the concentration of power "may be used against human rights defenders, those
who support the universal values ​​and freedom of speech and religion - people
who the Party can not tolerate because they see them as a threat to government.
"

This is confirmed by the Xinhua reports on the final document of the third
Plenum (The final official version of which has yet to be released) reiterates that
all the reforms serve to reinforce the Chinese Communist Party's monopoly of power.

e-mail this to a friend :

Two priests from underground Church in prison. Doubts about Xi Jinping’s "unprecedented" reforms East Asia China The two young priests gave catechism classes to adults in Qinyuan . Faithful who helped them are fined. Some Catholics hope that the concentration of power in the National Security Council will lessen patriotic association’s power and enhance religious freedom. Others fear the situation will worsen because reforms reaffirm the Communist Party monopoly of power.

:

: (*)

:

: (*)

: (*)

: (*)

See also

17/04/2012 CHINA - VATICANTwo underground bishops released, but many priests are arrestedBishop Shao Zhumin was arrested for four weeks, interrogated, brought on "vacation" away from his diocese, "recommended" to join the Patriotic Association. The model to follow: the excommunicated bishop Lei Shiyin. Bishop Jin Lugang detained for four days so he would not celebrate the Easter Triduum with the community. Dozens of underground priests are held for weeks and subjected to "political sessions". First the security of Communist Party's Congress and plan to eliminate the underground Church.

29/07/2010 CHINAXiwanzi underground priest arrested again after three years in prison Fr Peter Wang, an underground priest of the Diocese of Xiwanzi, was only able to take a few steps as a free man. The police arrested him again immediately after his release. He had been originally arrested for celebrating mass (with the permission of the government). Local Catholics: "The police want to force him to join the Patriotic Association."

05/08/2011 CHINA - VATICAN Fr. Chen Hailong, sequestered for four months to deny the pope, is freed He suffered isolation and hunger. To overcome loneliness and isolation, he drew a picture of the Blessed Sacrament on the wall of his cell, praying for a long time. The government wants to force him and other priests to register and subscribe to the PA, which wants to build a Church independent of the pope.

As Iraqi troops advance in the Nineveh Plain and Mosul, a new wave of refugees could overshadow the fate of other refugees who found hospitality in Kurdistan. People need kerosene, winter clothes, aid for children, and money for rent. The campaign AsiaNews launched two years ago is more urgent than ever. Give up a superfluous gift to offer refugees an essential gift for life.

In a letter Fr. Samir Youssef describes the situation of refugees, exiled from their home for more than two years. They are closely following the offensive to retake Mosul, although their homes and churches "are for the most part" burned or destroyed. With the arrival of winter there is a serve lack of heating oil, clothes, food and money to pay for their children’s school bus. An appeal to continue to support the AsiaNews campaign.